Snap Front Duster to Peachy Keen Day Dress Refashion
That’s right. I’m bringing back some seriously old slang for today’s refashion (that totally makes sense if you look at the lil preview pic of the “after” above). It’s gonna be the bee’s knees ya’ll!
When I found this dress on the $1 rack at the thrift store, I thought its lightweight fabric would be perfect for summer!
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This is one of those garments that’s just as comfortable as it is unflattering. And I don’t feel like that pale yellow is doing me any favors whatsoever.
Luckily, I had these two bottles of dye on hand!
The color mixology for this combo is very simple. Orange + Pink = Peach. I don’t have many peach-hued dresses, so I thought this would be a nice addition to my wardrobe.
To get this refashion started, I made a dye bath (following the instructions on the bottle) and submerged my dress inside.
After about 40 minutes (stirring occasionally), I rinsed my dress in my washing machine then dried it.
Since my dress was 55% cotton, it took the dye fairly well.
It’s worth noting that I ignored this label’s instructions for the dyeing part (I used hot water), and I also ironed my hems and seams when I was done (on the polyester setting).
Spoiler alert: It all turned out fine. I know. I’m such a rebel.
Now that my dress was dyed, I got to work removing those sleeves with my seam ripper.
I planned on wearing this dress to an outdoor after-work event, so I needed all the a/c I could get!
I was not sad to see those sleeves go.
Of course, this left the armholes of my dress a raw-edged gaping mess, so I clipped them down (pinning them would have worked just fine too)!
Then, I sewed them down on my new machine!
I’ve already announced this on my Instagram, but I was recently chosen to be one of 6 makers for the EverSewn 2021-2022 Maker Team!
Be on the lookout for monthly themed projects from me and the five other fabulous makers who were chosen to be a part of this fun group!
The machine you see here is the EverSewn Sparrow QE, which I’ve gotta tell ya is a joy to sew with. I plan on writing a comprehensive review in the coming weeks.
Okay…back to the refashion!
After my armholes were secure, I put my dress inside-out on my dress form and pinned the sides.
Then, I sewed each side down.
Then, I cut off the excess fabric from the sides using my pinking shears.
Okay…I know some of you are freaking out about me lopping off those side pockets, but hear me out! I actually didn’t think they worked for the overall shape of the dress.
Yes, I could have reattached them (Here’s how to add pockets to a dress btw), but I worried they’d make the sides too hippy.
Now all I needed to do was address the length!
I tried my dress on and safety-pinned it where I wanted it to fall (plus seam allowance!). Then I chopped!
Can I just say how cute my new safety pins are? They came in this awesome sewing notions starter kit that the lovely folks at EverSewn kindly gifted me.
When I tried my dress on to double-check the length, I noticed the bottom of the front placket kept gaping at crotch-level which was…well…not exactly ideal.
I pinned the bottom of the front placket down…
Then, I stitched it down as well. No more gapes!
I folded my bottom hem under twice and pinned it in place.
Then, I sewed it down.
Look at that once-dreary duster now!
I styled my new dress with a vintage headscarf, brooch and belt, along with a pair of Jack Rogers sandals.
My new frock enjoyed a warm and sunny early evening of outdoor music, food, and drinks with friends!
I kept cool and comfortable in my bright peach dress! And I really like how the top yoke looked when I was done!
Cheers!